Don’t know much about pressure washers..
jimblodgett
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
…but I keep thinking how handy one would be. I see they talk about how much pressure they provide…are the big ones adjustable so you can turn the pressure down? Is there anything else that seperates the good from the not so good (besides a Honda motor)? What should a person consider before buying a pressure washer?
Replies
Jim, I bought a small pressure washer a month ago. I never used one before, I love the thing. The one I bought is the small Husky from Home depot ($89.00) plus tax. 1300 psi, the larger one is 1600 psi I believe. The small one does not take the accesories that the 1600 psi pressure washer does.I have cleaned two decks, truck, vinyl and wood siding. Mold washed off without any soap added, added soap to wash truck. If I bought it today I would go with the 1600 psi only because it takes the rotary brushes that is an optional accesory. I believe the 1600 psi goes about $159.00.Practice with it before you do anything important. The spray is adjustable from a fan(low pressure) to a pencil spray (highest pressure). I can etch my name in wood with a pencil spray, start with low pressure and gradually work up to the spray pattern that does the job. These pressure washers are for home use, not for commercial use.I forgot to add they both are electric, the large pressure washers are gas powered.
Mike
make sure it can handle using hot water as a source. Some pumps cant handle hot water. Its nice to hook up to a H-W tank and clean the grease spots off the garage floor or driveway.
Jim, there was a pretty good thread on this very subject a couple of months ago. I'd do the search for you, but you're probably more competent at that than me!
My two bits: I was advised long ago that the combination of Cat pump and Honda motor was a winner, so that's what I went with and I've not been disappointed. And it's a tool I use more than I'd imagined, both for work and at home.
Most of the good ones come with an assortment of nozzles for various applications. I use a 15 degree most of the time for the hard cleaning.
Junkhound will tell you to go with the 3000psi plus, but I disagree (politely, of course). Mine is 2250 and adjustable and does all I need it to do.
I might add that, in my Weyerhaeuser days, I worked in two different old growth sawmills with hydraulic log debarkers. Typical pressure was 2500 to 2750 psi and if a log got stuck and the operator was daydreaming, logs 6' in diameter could be cut in half!
So, I contend that the performance of a pressure washer is more a function of good quality nozzles and an even flow rate.
A good time and place to buy a pressure washer at a discount is from paint stores in the Fall. They often sell off their rental units and replace with new in the Spring. (I wouldn't recommend going this route, however, if you plan to use it a lot.....and you will!)
And spend a few extra $$ and get a 50' or longer hose...they usually come with a 30' which is a little shy of ideal.
Jim , I like the 'lectric motor . never runs outa gas or need an oil change.
lectrics are quieter too.
A friend brought a diesel powered one home from work. But I don't know the specs or seen it in action yet.
Mike
It's O.k. to think out of the box, Just don't walk off of the plank!
Thanks everyone. I never even thought about electric models, didn't know they made them. I can see the advantages of less noise...but I wonder if the electric are less powerful, like 60lb electric jack hammers vrs 90lb pneumatic hammers.
Hot water, various nozzles, longer hose, more PSI, electric/gas...so did anyone mention whether the pressure can be adjusted to a lighter PSI? Or is that a function of these various tips, or spraying from further away?
Number one, don't buy an electric. They don't have the guts to do any real cleaning.
Number two, get one that has a max pressure of 23-2500 PSI. That will clean decks very effeciently without chemicals. The pressure is adjustable on mine with a twist handle.
Number three, Honda motors are very quiet, durable, and start with a couple of pulls. I've had mine for about 5 years, and it's never let me down. Change the plug, engine oil, and pump oil every year, and it'll treat you right.
Oh yeah, I really want to have an electric cord around a wet deck......
The electric one I have at my parents house is good enough for the few times I use it around there, but if you are going to use it often I'd recommend a gas powered model.
Though they do tend to have tanks that are too small, at least the two I have mainly used. So have at least a 2 1/2 gallon tank handy for re-fuel.
I've used 2 different gas powered pressure washers, one a has a Honda, the other a Brigs and Stratton (sp). Both engines seem to work equally well. Other then engines the difference between them was the difference in fan/pressure adjustment.
I'm not certain as to wether the actual pressure can be adjusted on certain models, on the two that I have used, one has a twist nozzle on the end which opens and closes two metal fins. By opening or closing you can adjusted the water stream from a fine line, like a pencil, which has no use that I have found, or a wide fan which will not damage softer wood. Somewhere in the middle of those two is usually where I run it.
This is the one we have at work and it is used for cleaning decks or siding on the wider side of the fan, too the car/truck, ladders etc. Also driveways and sidewalks after we pull out of job.
The other model is used at my grandfathers truck company to mainly wash the trucks/trailers and other equipment. It has different tips that fit into the nozzle which allow for different fans to be established and there is one or two specially for hot water applications.
I like the different tip model better because the operator has less of a chance to use too narrow a fan and damage something, but if it is going to be moved from job to job, the tips are just one more thing to loose, the twist nozzle also works fine.
A word of caution on the "pencil" setting. Not only will it "write" in wood, but it will do the same in concrete etc. Beyond this beware the person who is operating it realizes that a pencil thin line of water at 2300+ psi will hurt you pretty good. The wider fans can still cause pain, but not like the ultra thin line.
A little longer winded then I thought I was going to be.. sorry..
Good Luck NeilNever be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals built the Titanic.
One thing that I have not seen anyone mention and that is water flow rates (GPM).
You need the total water flow to flush away the debries.
I have seen them speced as "cleaning power" which is the pressure times the flow rate.
re - I was advised long ago that the combination of Cat pump and Honda motor was a winner, so that's what I went with and I've not been disappointed.
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I have read this also but maybe someone can mention which brands offer this particular combination...
(Not sure if Honda makes pressure washers.)
Thanks.
Northern Tool and Porter Cable both offer Honda/Cat pressure washers. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&TEST=Y&productId=47696&categoryId=210212 and http://www.portercable.com/index.asp?e=547&p=4536
Honda has two lines of engines- residential and commercial. The GX commercial line is the one you want. One other thing to note are the gun tips. Some guns have one adjustable tip and others come with 4 or 5 that you change out to change the spray pattern. It's a matter of preference. imho you can get a little more variety of spray patterns with the individual tips as long as you don't lose them.
jc has it right. Several pressure washer suppliers put the pump/engine combinations together on their own carts.
Individual, snap-on nozzles are best. Each nozzle slot is machined to a specific configuration. The adjustable nozzles maybe convenient, but they are a trade-off for performance.
Most of the carts have a secure storage array for the nozzle tips. I'm pretty inclined to lose small parts, but, I've yet to lose a nozzle tip.
JC and Notchman -
Thanks for the mention of specific brands with the Honda/Cat combo and other pointers.
I like the idea of the individual tips.
I like the 2400 range because their not to large to handle and they can handle a lower pressure from the house .The coolest thing is the rotary nozzle accessory I bought one acouple of months ago and tried it out last night and it is awsome it cuts the grime off a deck in half the time and shows less strafing than a straight jet.
ANDYSZ2I MAY DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOUR SAYING BUT I WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH YOUR RIGHT TO SAY IT.
Well, I think you should consider just what you are going to use it for, now and in the future. After borrowing my neighbor's 1300 psi electric to clean some paint from slate (worked great), I ordered a "factory reconditioned" one from the same mfg - http://www.karcher-usa.com/ . USUALLY only the big boys (2500 psi & up) can take hot water so be careful here or you will end up wrecking the hose connections. Those big boys will easily remove paint from brick and you can feather in to make the brick look as though it never saw the paint splatter.
Eric S.